Maurice: Knight finding rhythm in 1st stint as Panthers' starter

The Florida Panthers appear ready to give Spencer Knight the reins between the pipes.

The 23-year-old will start for the sixth time in seven games Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, and Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said Knight looks the part of a legitimate No. 1 netminder.

"Spencer feels good," Maurice said, according to team reporter Jameson Olive. "It's his first real opportunity to get a little bit of a taste of what the No. 1 role is like in the National Hockey League. We've got two divisional games when we get back, so we wanted to give him a little bit of a rhythm."

Knight has posted a 3-0-2 record with a .930 save percentage over his recent string of starts, supplanting veteran netminder Sergei Bobrovsky as a result.

Bobrovsky has struggled immensely this season, notching an .878 save percentage and 3.84 goals-against average in 12 appearances after enjoying his best season with the Panthers in 2021-22.

The 34-year-old is signed through 2026 at a $10-million cap hit and has a full no-movement clause until 2024; he can submit a 16-team no-trade list thereafter, according to CapFriendly.

Knight is in the final season of his entry-level contract, but Florida signed him to a three-year, $13.5-million extension in September.

The Panthers drafted Knight 13th overall in 2019. He started a career-high 27 games last season and looks well on his way to shattering that benchmark in 2022-23.